Burma's Mystical Highlights

From the ancient city of Bagan to the cultural centre of Mandalay, our tour offers a unique opportunity to discover the many hidden treasures of this stunning country. Take a scenic river cruise alongside green fertile plains, discover the commanding Bagaya Kyaung monastery, explore the traditional floating villages of Inle Lake and marvel at one of the world's most spectacular religious monuments, the glittering golden Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon.

UK to Yangon

Yangon

Yangon

Today, enjoy a full-day city tour of Yangon, a city of market-lined streets defined by a skyline of high-rises, towering Buddhist pagodas and evocative colonial architecture.

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

4

Yangon to Mandalay

Fly to Mandalay where you will be transferred to your hotel. Later, explore the delicately carved interior of Shwe Nandaw Monastery then visit Kuthodaw Pagoda, known as the 'World's Biggest Book' for the hundreds of Buddhist teachings inscribed on its marble slabs. Take in the gilded Buddha statue at Mahamuni Pagoda before returning to your hotel.

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

5

Mandalay

Travel to Amarapura to visit the famous U-Bein bridge, the oldest and longest teakwood bridge in the world, before returning to Mandalay. The rest of your day is at leisure.

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

6

Mandalay

Today, visit the town of Pyin Oo Lwin. Founded by the British in 1896, it soon became the summer capital and many colonial buildings still remain. Wander around the beautiful botanical gardens before heading back to Mandalay and retiring to your hotel.

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

7

Mandalay to Bagan

Early this morning, depart Mandalay on your cruise bound for Bagan. During your cruise, stop at the village of Latkka set on a bamboo plantation, where you will get an insight into local village life. On arrival in Bagan, you will be met by a local guide and transferred to your hotel.

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

8

Bagan

This morning, enjoy far-reaching views from the banks of the Ayeyarwaddy River before driving to the largest temple in Bagan and on to Mount Popa to visit a volcanic peak dedicated to the legendary 'Nat' spirits.

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

9

Bagan

After breakfast, explore the busy Nyaung Oo Market where locals gather to sell traditional goods. Here, you can buy local Burmese food in preparation for your cooking class. The rest of your afternoon will be at leisure. Enjoy a sunset cruise in the Ayeyarwady River this evening.

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

10

Bagan to Inle Lake

Located in the heart of the Shan Plateau, the stunning Inle Lake is home to the indigenous Intha people, renowned for their unique 'leg-rowing' used to steer traditional boats. Fly to Heho and board a boat to your hotel before visiting Paw Khon village to observe the locals weaving silk and creating their handicrafts.Optional excursion (payable locally): Ballooning over ancient Bagan

Breakfast & Lunch

11

Inle Lake

Enjoy a day at leisure to relax or further explore the Indein villages on the mainland with their bamboo and teak stilted houses and pagodas.

Breakfast & Dinner

12

Inle Lake to UK

Following breakfast, fly to Yangon for your connecting flight to the UK, via Bangkok.

Breakfast

Important Information

Visas

UK passport holders are currently required to obtain a visa prior to travel. We work closely with The Travel Visa Company who will be able to arrange the visa on your behalf. Please call them on 01270 250 590 and quote 'Mercury Holidays'. The cost of the visa is approximately £85 and your passport must be valid for at least 6 months from the date you intend to leave Burma. Alternatively, if you wish to apply for your visa online, please visit myanmarvisa.com/evisa. We recommend that you allow one month for an online visa to be processed. This will cost you USD $50. Further visa advice should be sought from the applicable tourist authority for other nationalities and for general queries. We strongly advise you to check with your destinations' Tourist Board or Embassy for the most up-to-date guidelines regarding required passport validity.

Insurance

We strongly recommend that you and all members of your party are suitably insured as soon as you book your holiday. It is a condition of booking that you must have suitable travel insurance. It is important that you purchase travel insurance that suitably covers your participation in whatever activities you may undertake at the time that you make your booking. To assist you with this, we have arranged travel insurance in partnership with Holiday Extras. To arrange your travel insurance with Holiday Extras, please call 0800 781 4237 and quote 'WK830' for preferential rates. Please ensure you provide us with the name of your insurer, policy number and their 24-hour emergency contact number as soon as possible. Mercury Holidays will not be liable for any costs incurred by you due to your failure to take out suitable travel insurance from the date of booking.

Payment

If booking more than 10 weeks before departure a deposit of £49pp will need to be paid at the time of booking with the full amount payable at 10 weeks prior to departure. The deposit applies to adults and children. If you are within 10 weeks of travel then the full balance of the holiday will be payable.

Flight Information

Your flight is to Yangon International Airport with Thai Airways (TG), departing from London Heathrow Terminal 2. Each passenger is entitled to 30kg of hold luggage. The maximum permissible size of hand luggage must not exceed 56x45x25cm. The maximum size of each piece of hand luggage must not exceed 115 cm as a sum of three dimensions (including wheels, handles and side pockets).

Health and Vaccinations

It is your responsibility to check any health and vaccination requirements applicable to your booked arrangements. We can only provide general information about this. Health and hygiene facilities and disease risks vary from country to country. You should take health advice about your own needs as early as possible and in good time before your departure. Sources of information include; www.fco.gov.uk, http://travelhealthpro.org.uk/, www.hpa.org.uk, your General Practitioner or a specialist clinic.

Physical Accessibility

This tour is accessible to most people with a good level of fitness and normal mobility. It involves full days of sightseeing, often on foot and includes some hiking, climbing of stairs and getting on and off of coaches and boats. This tour is not suitable for anyone with walking difficulties.

Group Size

The minimum number of travellers in your group will be 12, and the maximum will be 48. If in the unlikely event there are less than 12 people booked on your tour date, we will endeavour to reduce any disruption to your holiday and try to operate your tour with lower passenger numbers. If we are not able to operate your departure date then you may be asked to change to a different date and a full refund will be made available to you should this alternative not be suitable.

Tour Guide

This is a fully escorted tour, meaning that you will be met on arrival at each destination and will have a regional guide with you during your stay in each place. There will be five separate guides in total (Yangon, Bagan, Mandalay & Inle Lake) including one English speaking guide on your cruise ensuring that you have first-hand knowledge at all times.

Currency Information

Before arriving in Burma it is very important that you budget carefully and ensure you have the right form of currency. The currency in Burma is the Kyat, known as MMK but this is a closed currency meaning you will not be able to purchase it outside of the country. The US dollar is the only foreign currency that is readily exchanged and/or accepted as payment for goods and services. You will need to make sure that the US dollars you take with you are in pristine condition and be issued no earlier than 2006. It is important they have no folds, stamps, stains, writing marks or tears as they will not be accepted unless they are in perfect condition. It is useful to have a combination of US dollar bills, ensuring you have some smaller bills. Some hotels and larger shops will now accept payment by visa or credit cards however please bear in mind that this is not guaranteed.

Personal Expenses

You will need to take money with you to cover any personal purchases such as souvenirs, laundry, and extra drinks and snacks. Approximately £200 per person will be sufficient for the duration of the tour. Tipping is not compulsory and is at your discretion. Should you wish to tip, this will be collected by your guide either during your tour or at the end of your tour for your convenience. We would recommend approximately $2 USD (£1.50) per person per day, the tips will be split between the driver and the guide.

Additional Expenses

Visas

Insurance

Tips

Any meals not specified in your itinerary

14th May 2019 Important Information:

We have been informed by our local agent in Burma that unfortunately, the water levels are too low for the Mandalay to Bagan cruise to operate; Due to this land transfers have been arranged. To ensure you do not miss out on any planned excursions we have arranged a visit to Ta Mike Thar Village to replace the visit to the Latkka Village. The Ta Mike Thar Village is very similar to the Latkka Village, it is a small village located near Bagan where you can observe local people weaving bamboo baskets and get a sense of everyday village life.

What to expect

Fact File

Currency

Kyat

Average Flying time

14 hours

Min/Max temperature

30 °C / 37 °C

Spoken languages

Burmese

What to pack

Sunglasses, sunscreen and hat in summer

Comfortable walking shoes

Camera and charger/spare batteries

A plug adaptor

Binoculars

Mosquito Repellent

Personal toiletries and first aid kit

Anti-bacterial hand gel

Swimwear

Waterproof lightweight jacket

Flip flops or sandals (shoes that are easy to remove when going into pagodas)

Long, lightweight skirts or trousers and long sleeved tops (you will need to have your legs and arms covered when going into pagodas)

Customer Rating:

10/10

D Lynch

17th Apr 2019

One of the best tours we have ever had. Lovely guides that ensured everything ran smoothly and at the pace we wanted.
Stunning hotels, the hotel/ restaurant food very acceptable and all the sightseeing trips left us with many memories.

Overall Satisfaction

Value for money

Customer Rating:

10/10

Lesley Morton

25th Feb 2019

The hotels were all of a high standard. I felt very safe, the people were so friendly and couldn't do enough for us. The food was amazing, the best I've tasted in Asia!

Overall Satisfaction

Value for money

Customer Rating:

8.8/10

C Martin

28th Dec 2018

No comments

Overall Satisfaction

Value for money

Customer Rating:

10/10

Geoffrey Beaman

12th Dec 2018

All hotels generally good standard with efficient service.Good itinerary and a good holiday.

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Travel Advice and Safety Abroad

For latest travel advice from the Foreign & Commonwealth Office including security and local laws, plus passport and visa information click hereThis advice can change so please check regularly for updates.